Engine loses power

Tiny
MR TOGUE
  • MEMBER
  • 1994 FORD RANGER
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 200,000 MILES
My 1994 ford ranger is a great truck I am very satisfied with it how ever recently its been acting a little strange while driving. My rpms is usually around 2k in 5th gear while driving around 65mph. All of a sudden its like hlaf the engine shuts off. My rpms drop to 1k and the engine feels like its stuttering. Some times it comes out of it within a few mins other times it takes over a hour there is no warning that its going to happen and no warning that it will come out of it. My truck has high mileage but its been a very dependable truck, I checked the spark plug wires and spark plugs there doesnt appear to be any thing wrong, I have the engine that has 8 spark plugs but is a 4 cylinder engine. I am assuming it might be the power packs (no distributor) but I cant seem to get the idea out of my head that it might be one of the fuel enjectors ( I am not fuel enjected smart so this is a guess) as for the power packs I always thought they were either good or they were bad. There was no inbetween issues I really think driving the truck when its misbehaving is hurting my engine but its my only vehicle and I have to drive it seeing I dont know when it will happen or what causes it I cant decide what I should do. Any suggestions on what might be happening?
Thursday, February 11th, 2010 AT 10:54 PM

87 Replies

Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
Has it ever caused the check engine light to come on?If so have the computer scanned to see what codes are in it, this may point us in the right direction for the fix. You may be losing one of the coil packs or one side of the coil pack which can cause loss of power. The coils are more likely to be heat sensitive when they fail than most other parts. At 200k you should be on your second set of plugs and wires at minumum. Have you replaced the fuel filter recently?
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Friday, February 12th, 2010 AT 7:55 AM
Tiny
MR TOGUE
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Yes the engine light does come on but when the the engine comes out of its misbehaving the light goes out. I am on my second set of plugs and as for the plug pack ( power pack ) being heat sensitve I am not sure because some times this behavor is right after I start the car to some times hours after the truck has been running ( I drive aprox 4 hours to my friends house 1 to 2 times a month). Does fuel enjectors control more then one cylinder or is it a one to one ratio ( one enjector to one cylinder) if some thing was in the gas line system, could it be blocking the flow and in effect cutting the gass flow to half my engine?
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Friday, February 12th, 2010 AT 10:57 AM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
Yes there is an injector for each cylinder, if it was fuel related it may just bog theentire engine down, not just half of it. That is why I suggested the coil pack, those are wired internally in pairs (2, 3 - 1, 4) so if half of it goes away it can affect 2 cylinders
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Friday, February 12th, 2010 AT 5:04 PM
Tiny
MR TOGUE
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
I am thinking u are right. What u say about the coil pack sounds totally logical, half my engine doesnt seem to be running when this happens. ( Thus the drop in the rpms by exactly 1/2 of what it was ) I think I am going to have to put it in the shop so it can be hooked to the computer to figure out which side is going bad. Boy I have to admit I miss the good old days when we normal every day people with normal tools could tinker with our cars.

So guys thanks for your help. Guess over time is gonna have to be in the works to pay the garage bill.
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Friday, February 12th, 2010 AT 7:31 PM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
Yeah, they are definitly more complicated than they used to be. Sometimes they are hard to fix even with the right tools
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Friday, February 12th, 2010 AT 8:39 PM
Tiny
TLMATTESON
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1994 FORD RANGER
  • 6 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
Idles good but has no power to go over 5 miles per hour
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:03 AM (Merged)
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Check the exhaust for restriction, MAF and TPS sensors-also check the fuel pressure
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:03 AM (Merged)
Tiny
STAYLOST
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 1994 FORD RANGER
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 116,000 MILES
I have a 1994 Ford Ranger with a manual transmission. For a few weeks the car was making a little clanking noise. One morning a loud noise came from under the hood and the car lost power. The engine became terribly loud, sounding like a lawn mower. When driving it home, the top speed was about 5 mph. When inspecting under the hood, everything looked normal, but I can smell gasoline. Any idea of what the problem could be? It's an old car and I don't want to waste a tow to a shop if it's a huge repair. Thanks so much in advance.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:03 AM (Merged)
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,761 POSTS
You should have thought about the tow a little earlier. You continued to drive it after the initial noise and that could have done the motor in. You need to get it to a professional tech WITHOUT RUNNING IT, asap.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:03 AM (Merged)
Tiny
FREEMBA
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,152 POSTS
Check the spark plugs one of them may have blown out of its hole. This would kill you power and make a horrible racket.
Let me know if that's it. If not we can check further.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:03 AM (Merged)
Tiny
STAYLOST
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
YES! You were right. I grabbed around the engine and it was just lying there. Am I able to screw it back in myself, or should I purchase a new one?
Image (Click to make bigger)
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:03 AM (Merged)
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,761 POSTS
Good catch Freemba
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:03 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BYASFOX39
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1994 FORD RANGER
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 180,000 MILES
Yesterday my Ranger started having tranny issues. It goes into gear and will move--but barely. Could this be a vacuum problem?
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:04 AM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,047 POSTS
You could check if there is a vacuum modulator on the side of the trans, but in 94, I don't think they used them.

As far as the issue, is the trans fluid full and clean (not burnt)? Also, has the check engine light come on?
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:04 AM (Merged)
Tiny
D457338
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
  • 1994 FORD RANGER
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 180,000 MILES
The truck would have low power and would just kick in and accelerate hard. Usually kicked in@around 45mph. I cleaned the MAF and the problem stopped. A few weeks later I took the truck on a road trip and the problem started again but became much worse to the point that the truck totally lost power, as in no acceleration as if my foot was off the pedal. It idles decently, not erratic. MAF crap out?
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:04 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi d457338,

Thank you for the donation.

Symptom do indicate apossible fault with the MAF and its circuit. A faulty O2 sensor can cause the problem as well.

Is the Check Engine Light indicating and did you try to retrieve for trouble codes?

Since cleaning the MAF did the job once, get it cleaned again and recheck the wire connector to ensure that it is clean and secure.
Check the air hose between the MAF and throttle body for leakages. Look out for signs of cracks on the hose.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:04 AM (Merged)
Tiny
D457338
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
The check engine light will come on. I changed out 1 o2 sensor and the fuel filter and re-cleaned the MAF sensor. I made an attempt to pull the codes but couldn't find the connections per Haynes manual. Also checked for possible vacuum leaks.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:04 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
The DLC is located at right front inner fender panel.


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/192750_DLC94RangerFig04_1.jpg

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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:04 AM (Merged)
Tiny
D457338
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
In the Haynes manual there are two plugs to check codes. Only one can be located (the smaller one) the larger one pictured in the manual is no where.

I just replaced the MAF sensor and it did improve slightly. Still periodically losing power but less frequently. But still a constant drag on the acceleration though.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:04 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Is the CEL still showing after replacement of the MAF?

I am not able to get any additional information on the DLC and no diagrams to show too.

I am having difficulty accessing our database so I will try to get assistance from my fellow colleagues who might be able to get additional info for you.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 10:04 AM (Merged)

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